Mill Creek History

Although there have been settlers and farms in the area for many years, relevant history begins with the purchase in the 1930's by Dr. Garhart of 800 acres, which would later become the major portion of Mill Creek. Dr. Garhart was known as a staunch naturalist who performed extensive inventories of the natural resources of the site and made numerous observations of the wildlife and vegetation. The larger Garhart property was surrounded by several families on smaller tracts (20-60 acres). Dr.Tony Levitsis, a former Mill Creek City Councilman, tells of the folklore surrounding one such family, the Garletts. 

"They owned 50 acres, sold off ten to pay back taxes, and then moved deep into the woods. There they built a cabin on what today is the 13th tee of the Mill Creek Golf Course. Access was over a rugged trail through the property that is now Larry's Smokehouse. The depression was a lean time; the family raised chickens, pigs, gardened and even did some logging; anything to survive. The family of five lived in a cabin that measured 15 feet square and stood about 5 1/2 feet high. It had a crude door, an opening that passed for a window, a wood stove that supplied heat and cooking and a dirt floor, which was later planked over. Water came from a spring in the winter. During the summer the spring dried up and they had to carry water from Penny Creek. The cabin is long gone, replaced by the Laurel subdivision."
One remnant of the efforts of the Garhart, Garletts and other families which is still in existence, is the dam and reservoir constructed in 1935 just east of the intersection of SR 527 and 164th Street SE. It was then named Wintermutes Corner and is still referred to as such on many maps. In 2000, the name of a small creek that flows through the current "Town Center" site was officially changed from Smokehouse Creek to Mill Creek, thus becoming a namesake for the city.

Demographics

Mill Creek is a growing community located just east of Lynnwood along the I-5 corridor in Snohomish County. It is home to a diverse population of 18,700.  It is another of the upscale communities served by Help-U-Sell Puget Sound brokers. There are 100’s of Mill Creek real estate properties and Mill Creek homes for sale in the city. Mill Creek is a part of a larger vision that has been developing since the 1950s, though its name has varied from that of the home of the Greek gods (Olympus) to the Chinook Indians' idea of open, free and outdoors (Klahanie).